Chapter 678 City of Hope
The night fell and the cold wind howled.
The entire South Island was shrouded in this wind and snow, making it even more cold and eerie.
Only the walled city in the center of the island, looking from afar, is like a warm stove in this cold and chaotic world, adding a bit of vitality...
"My benefactor, my name is Luo Jin, Jin means gold and silver."
"My sister's name is Luo Yin, Yin means gold and silver."
"Today you saved me and my sister, and in a disguised way saved my mother. From now on, Luo Jin's life is yours..."
"Don't call me a benefactor. I can't be considered as...saving you."
……
Song Bing followed the Luo Yin siblings and entered the besieged city unhindered.
Through communication along the way, Song Bing also learned the names of the brother and sister.
The three of them finally arrived at a residential area at the foot of West City.
The so-called residential area is more like a temporary and randomly built refugee gathering place.
All the residences are simply tents made of wood and rags.
They are clustered together in a complex and intertwined manner.
Tightly surrounding the entire besieged city.
This is to keep each other warm and avoid the cold.
It's like a more shabby slum.
At a glance, under every dilapidated building, there are people trying to survive like the walking dead.
Of course, Song Bing also saw several exhausted corpses through the Forbidden Eye.
They just curled up quietly and died there, and the people around them didn't even notice.
"Ah Yin, take your benefactor home first and take good care of him. I'll be back soon."
Luo Jin looked at Luo Yin and gave an order, then he carried the ham wrapped in clothes and ran quickly towards the center of the besieged city.
Song Bing looked in the direction he was looking and found that there were many tall concrete buildings in the center of the besieged city...
"Brother Song, let's go home first! It's windy outside."
Luo Yin interrupted Song Bing's observation and also changed his address to Song Bing.
Just because Song Bing said he didn't like the title of "benefactor", she changed it.
"What did your brother do?"
After taking a deep look at the well-behaved girl in front of him, Song Bing asked curiously.
"Exchange for [Hope Gold]."
Luo Yin led the way while explaining, "Those people call this place the [City of Hope], so if you want to stay here, you must pay [Hope Money] every month, 10 [Hope Money] per person per month.
With [Hope Gold], you can also buy the supplies you want from those people.
For example, buying whole grains that can make you more full, or buying medicines needed when you are sick or injured.
But it's best not to get sick or injured, because they can ask for whatever price they want and you can't bargain.
Simply put, [Hope Gold] is the currency here..."
While explaining, Luo Yin had already brought Song Bing through several simple tents and arrived at a tent closer to the inside.
It was as simple as a tent, made of just a few pieces of wood and rags.
Luo Yin skillfully opened a piece of wood and crawled in.
There were only a few simple pieces of furniture in the tent.
The most valuable things are the two quilts.
"Brother Song, come in quickly! It's warmer inside."
Quickly spreading out the quilt, Luo Yin smiled a little embarrassedly.
Song Bing frowned slightly, but asked, "Where's your mother?"
If he remembered correctly, didn't the two of them talk about having a mother at the beginning?
"she…"
When he mentioned this, Luo Yin's eyes dimmed obviously, but he still tried to force out a smile and looked at the building in the center of the besieged city, saying:
"She was seriously ill, so she had to stay in the Hope Hospital in the center of the besieged city and rely on drugs to keep her alive..."
Song Bing's eyes moved slightly, and he understood something in an instant. He continued to ask curiously, "What disease does your mother have?"
“I don’t know, but I have to spend 100 [Hope Coins] of medicine every day to keep myself alive. If I don’t take it, my life will be in danger. Add to that the 20 [Hope Coins] for hospitalization, and it’s almost a sky-high price.
That’s why that ham is so important to us.”
Luo Yin spoke with a dim look in his eyes.
In order to keep her mother alive, she and Luo Jin risked their lives every day to go out and look for supplies, just to earn 120 Hope Coins.
And these 120 Hope Coins are enough for them to live here for three months.
At this time, Luo Jin hurried back.
His tired and haggard face was now filled with happiness and hope.
He had two black balls in his arms.
"Ayin, Mom is much better now, and the medical bills have been paid in one lump sum.
A total of 125 Hope Coins were exchanged this time.
Come, eat it."
Luo Jin walked over happily and handed a black ball to Luo Yin.
Then he looked at Song Bing and took out another dumpling and the remaining four [Hope Coins] that looked like coins.
"Brother Song, this is for you. One Hope Coin can buy a ball of 'protein ball'. Please eat it first. When I go out tomorrow, I will definitely return the rest to you."
Luo Jin spoke carefully, fearing that Song Bing would be unhappy.
Song Bing looked at the black so-called protein mass and frowned slightly.
Under the eyes of taboo, this is not some kind of crappy meringue at all, it is just a mixture of dregs and rotten food.
Song Bing even saw some meat that was not meant for human consumption...
"You can eat! I'm not hungry."
Song Bing saw that Luo Jin was very hungry, but he still dared to buy two.
"Brother Song, please don't despise me, I..."
"I'll go around and have a look, don't mind me."
Song Bing did not give Luo Jin any chance to refuse and turned around to leave.
But when they saw Song Bing was about to leave, the brother and sister's faces changed drastically at the same time.
Luo Yin followed and ran out, saying, "Brother Song, you must not go out. Although it is hard here, it can still protect our safety. But if you go out, your life will be in danger."
"Oh? What do you say?"
Song Bing was attracted by their words and reactions.
“We don’t know either, but once it gets dark, it’s very dangerous outside.
There were a few powerful third and fourth level mutants who couldn't stand this kind of exploitation and wanted to break away from the constraints here, but the next day, we found their bodies not far outside the besieged city.
Their deaths were extremely tragic, as if they were eaten alive by zombies.
Anyway, so far, no one has been able to escape from the City of Hope and survive."
Luo Jin spoke with a serious expression.
This is also an important reason why no one dares to escape in the face of such exploitation.
The outside world is too dangerous, only the City of Hope is safe.
This is almost engraved in everyone's heart.
Listening to what the two said, Song Bing's face showed a little more interest.
I have a better understanding of this besieged city.
"I know. I'm not going out. I'm just walking around."
Song Bing nodded, reassuring the brother and sister before leaving.
The brother and sister wanted to say something, but they found that Song Bing had disappeared from their sight.
Here, Song Bing has already walked out of this dirty, crowded residential area, with his hands in his pockets, looking calmly at the bottom of the tall buildings in the center of the city...
A solemn look appeared on his face.
What kind of people live there?
After pondering for a moment, Song Bing tightened his black windbreaker over his white coat, then turned around and walked towards the exit he came from without hesitation.
……